


Solstafir

by closetcellist



Category: Battle for London in the Air
Genre: Common Cold, Essential Oils, M/M, Mild sickfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 18:39:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10366929
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/closetcellist/pseuds/closetcellist
Summary: Chauncey gets a cold. What kind of a doctor would Suttler be if he didn't help him with that?





	

“Dr. Suttler! What a pleasant surprise,” Chauncey Spencer said, only sounding a little less bright and a little more muted than he usually did. His cheeks were flushed, but Suttler was certain it was just from the illness.

“I heard you weren’t feeling well,” Dr. Suttler replied truthfully as he made his way inside, glancing around. He was inordinately pleased that there wasn’t anyone else in evidence at the moment.

“I didn’t realize you made house calls,” Chauncey said, chuckling for a few seconds before it turned into a cough.

“What kind of doctor would I be if I let my patients suffer?” Dr. Suttler asked. The fact that this was a legitimate reason for him to get out from under Dr. Jhandir for a stretch of time was a very nice bonus, but he certainly would have come either way. “That cough sounds a bit unpleasant. Why don’t you sit down?”

Chauncey did as he was bid, taking a seat and letting Dr. Suttler examine him, patiently following directions to breathe as the doctor moved his stethoscope across his back to listen. “A chest cold,” Dr. Suttler decided, looping the stethoscope around his neck and opening his case. “A nasty one, but nothing worse.”

“That’s good to hear,” Chauncey said. “I suppose I’ll just muddle through it.”

“Nonsense,” Dr. Suttler said, opening his bag and pulling out several small bottles and mixing a few eyedroppers of liquid from each together. “There are plenty of ways to get rid of a cold.”

Chauncey smiled, watching Dr. Suttler consideringly. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Is this your specialty, then?”

“Yes, actually,” Dr. Suttler said, capping the bottle and shaking it gently a few times before opening it again and holding it under Chauncey’s nose. “Deep breath, please.”

Chauncey obliged, and almost regretted it as it triggered another coughing fit, though when he recovered, his sinuses seemed to have cleared, for the moment. “Goodness that’s strong. But effective, I have to admit.”

Dr. Suttler nodded, looking pleased. “Of course it is. Now just apply a little of this every day to your neck, just where you might put some cologne, and we’ll have you better in no time at all.” He offered the bottle to Chauncey, who considered it for a moment, but didn’t take it, instead looking up at the doctor.

“I’m not sure I understand,” he said, managing to keep a sincere expression. “Would you show me?”

Dr. Suttler felt a flush starting to creep up his neck, but he mentally tried to force it down, as though that would do anything to interrupt the process. “If, um…if you want. I suppose I could. It’s…fairly straightforward.”

“I think you should show me,” Chauncey said.

Dr. Suttler’s mind raced for a moment, but it didn’t get anywhere useful in the end he simply nodded, taking a breath to center himself as he tipped the bottle to get a little of the oil mixture on his fingertips. He set the bottle down before rubbing them together and reaching, with only slight hesitation, to massage the oil into Chauncey’s neck, just below his jaw.

Time slowed as the doctor touched him, the heat of Chauncey’s skin warming the oil and sending the complicated but not unpleasant scent into the air. Dr. Suttler fixed his eyes on Chauncey’s shoulder as he leaned close to the other man, circling his fingers gently.

Suttler wasn’t sure if he was breathing, and each second stretched into two and then three and then infinity, the soft light of the room creating a quiet bubble in time around just the two of them. If he breathed, he would breathe in Chauncey’s air, and that was a thrill and a terror and a comfort. He thought in the endless moment that he had memorized the stitching on Chauncey’s waistcoat, and that it was perfect.

As long as infinity was, it couldn’t last forever, and Dr. Suttler finally pulled back and shifted his gaze to Chauncey’s face.

“That was rather simple,” Chauncey said, but quietly, as though perhaps he too felt the edges of the moment and didn’t want to break them. “I can feel myself getting better already.” He caught Dr. Suttler’s hand as he pulled away and held it for a moment, smiling brightly up at him, a beam of light from the heavens. “Thank you, Dr. Suttler.”

“It was…it was my pleasure,” Dr. Suttler said, swallowing heavily as Chauncey finally go of his hand. “I’ll, um. I’ll leave this with you. Just…you can just do that once a day and it should help clear things up.”

“I’m sure it will,” Chauncey said, standing again and resting his hand on Dr. Suttler’s shoulder, a warm, solid presence connecting them across infinite space again. “I hate to be an imposition. I’m sure I’ll manage and no doubt be right as rain in a few days. But, if you were in the neighborhood, I certainly wouldn’t mind a check-up.” He squeezed Dr. Suttler’s shoulder lightly before letting him go and it was all the good doctor could do to respond in a human way.

“I’m sure I could manage that,” Dr. Suttler said, speaking through a warm, pink haze. “I’m sure. It would be no trouble at all. Positive.”

Chauncey beamed at him again, but a moment later the cough caught up to him again, spoiling the moment and clearing away the haze. “Very good of you. I’ll see you soon, and hopefully in better health,” he said, leading the way back to the door.

Dr. Suttler didn’t have it in him to be disappointed, the entirety of their interaction more than he’d ever dared dream. “In a few days,” he promised, stepping outside. He risked a backward glance and was rewarded, not like Orpheus, but with a final bright smile from Chauncey, one that crinkled at the corners of his eyes. Like the sun, Dr. Suttler had to look away after a moment, forced to concentrate on walking lest he trip over his own feet in distraction.

The next day, he changed his tie to blue.


End file.
